The New York Times (1920) “A rocket will never leave the Earth’s atmosphere.” — The New York Times, editorial. 49 years later… “The Times regrets the error.” — The New York Times, July 17, 1969 (the day after Apollo 11 launched) 1952 – Lee de Forest, a legendary and respected engineer, (Father of Radio) “Man will never reach the Moon… Mortals must live and die on Earth.” 1956 – Sir Richard Woolley, Britain’s top astronomer. “Space travel is utter bilge.” — Sir Richard Woolley, Astronomer...
2 days ago • 2 min read
Recently, I had the opportunity to provide some advice to someone living in Africa. He is advising the Government on a new series of PPP. The next target is the rehabilitation and transformation of two old buildings into landmark spaces to be used by the Government at 60%. The rest… lot of flexibility. Maybe too much. And lots of unknowns. To make this project attractive, or at least palatable we should provide to the proponents either access to the buildings so that they can satisfy...
3 days ago • 1 min read
In a recent interview, an expensive consultant… those that charge you for their offices in the middle of Manhattan and all the MBA fees of the Ivy League graduates, responded the following on TV to this question: “Are there some main causes behind startup failure?” The answer was: “Yes. There are.” Which ones? No market need – 42% Ran out of cash – 29% Not the right team – 23% Got outcompeted – 19% Pricing/cost issues – 18% Poor product – 17% Flawed or missing business model – 17% Poor...
4 days ago • 2 min read
Last week, I got quite sick. Small children. Viruses. Usual suspects. My body wanted bed, and this is what I did… But… I could have been watching Netflix. Or worse… The TV… If I knew how to get the channels. Instead, I completed a couple of courses I had bought and were still pending. Perfect reset. New ideas. One of these courses is by Matt Gray. And I loved what he said about obsession. Anyone that has achieved a decent level of success in life has some sort of obsession. You can think of...
5 days ago • 1 min read
One of the “interesting” things about having sat at all four corners of the table, and having done so in several countries, is that you start comparing. Yes, I know. It’s a Spanish sickness. We like criticising more than we like evading taxes… or voting for politicians who do. I can’t escape my genes, no matter how a Kiwi I've become. You compare. And sooner or later, you reach a painful conclusion. Especially now that I live in the paradise of the South Pacific. Nations led by builders build...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Suggesting beats showing. Always. Just see what happens to women that show too much. They attract the wrong type of men… or probably not. They just attract all men… and then, it’s more complicated to do a good selection. The chances of getting it wrong increase. But if they just suggest, they tend to attract a more sophisticated level of men. Less brutal, savage, and basic. Then, the chances of getting the wrong type of men decrease. And remember, women risked their lives having s€x not long...
7 days ago • 1 min read
You can find horror stories almost everywhere. Not just developed countries. And successful ones too… as it’s not rocket science. Before 2010, the Philippines’ PPP program was infamous for all the wrong reasons: legal uncertainty, endless bid delays, weak feasibility studies, and risk allocations that scared investors away faster than typhoons. So they decided to stop, review, learn and repeat. They started to ask the market about what was wrong with the last projects. They noted. And decided...
8 days ago • 2 min read
You know that moment when a government says: “We’re launching a massive PPP program.” Or… “We are going to partner with the private sector to build roads”! Everyone claps like seals because… wow… private money, shiny highways, “international best practice,”. Re-election secured. Mexico did that in the early 90s. Fifty-two highway concessions. I repeat. 52 PPP fever everywhere. The “future” of infrastructure. And we’ll build Speedy Gonzales speed. Spoiler: It didn’t end well. Actually, it...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Last week I lost a dream villa in Auckland. In the most expensive neighbour in the country. Full renovation to be made to earn around 500k$ with the trade… although this one was for me. Amazing views of the sea and the Auckland Bridge… from the kitchen and dining area. Walking distance to downtown. I just needed to counter offer around 10-15k$ more and I got it. But I was weak. Hesitant. With lots of fears and doubts… Or maybe not that much. On reflection, I have my rules. Minimum discount on...
10 days ago • 1 min read